Host Indonesia sets date for 19th SEA Games
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia is scheduled to host to the 19th Southeast Asian Games from Oct. 11 to Oct. 19 next year.
Chairman of the 19th SEA Games board of patrons, Azwar Anas, said the date was set after he met with President Soeharto yesterday.
"The President suggested that the Games be held sometime after Oct. 5 so that there will be enough time between the Games and the 1997 general election in May," said Azwar, who is also Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare.
Azwar said an official announcement of the decision will be made when National Sports Council chairman Wismoyo Arismunandar meets his counterparts from the nine other Southeast Asian countries. The date and venue of the meeting have not been set.
Ten Southeast Asian countries -- Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and host Indonesia -- are expected to take part in the biennial sporting meet.
Azwar said that Indonesia, learning from the just-concluded National Games, is likely to participate in 34 sports and field an estimated 4,300 athletes. More than 1,700 officials are expected at the SEA Games.
The SEA Games committee has set a budget target of Rp 70 billion (US$30 million). The budget is to be covered by an underwriting consortium led by President Soeharto's son Bambang Trihatmodjo. Half of the budget will be used to help the national team prepare for the Games.
Village
The consortium has been advised to build a new athletes' village on the old site of the Senayan shooting range. But Azwar said that the plan still needs to be discussed with Jakarta Governor Surjadi Soedirdja and Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono, who is chairman of the Senayan Management Board.
The new village -- in the form of a hotel -- would only provide lodging for athletes. Officials, including judges, referees and umpires, would stay at the nearby Atlet Century Park hotel, which has long been used to accommodate both athletes and officials.
The consortium has promised to complete construction of the village within 10 months of the starting date.
Another option is to build the village in Cileungsi, a growing suburb south of here. Cileungsi, however, is more than 25 kilometers from the Senayan sports complex and Jakarta's stubborn traffic jams could cause athletes to arrive late for competition.
Azwar said the consortium has sent a team to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to learn how the city staged the 18th SEA Games in December last year.
Indonesia has high hopes of regaining its dominance in the regional sporting meet, especially since its 1995 humiliation by Thailand. "But we also aim to become a successful host of the Games," said Azwar.
The 1997 SEA Games are expected to serve as gauge of the ability of Southeast Asian countries prior to the Asian Games in Bangkok the following year. (arf)